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Dayton Bike Share

Bike Miami Valley to suspend operation of LINK Dayton Bike Share Program.

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LINK Dayton Bike Share will suspend operations this fall (September 30th). LINK Dayton Bike share is a program ran by Bike Miami Valley, a non-profit cycling advocacy organization.
Bike share systems across the nation are facing unique challenges that have proved difficult for these donor funded systems to navigate, including rising costs, operational challenges, rising expenses for insurance and a lack of insurance providers willing to cover bike share programs. These have also impacted the LINK Dayton Bike Share system and are major contributors to the decision to suspend operations.
LINK Dayton Bike Share was launched in May of 2015 in the spirit of community collaboration between and has served the Dayton core for 9 years. 120,665 Trips to date with 66,790 total unique users. LINK Dayton Bike Share was created to make biking more accessible for all, provide “last mile” transportation throughout the urban core, as well as improve livability, and provide a healthy, environmentally friendly mode of transportation.
Downtown Dayton has changed drastically since LINK Dayton Bike Share was first introduced, with increased housing, entertainment, restaurants on the positive side with less workforce active during working hours.
LINK Dayton Bike Share sees annually: over 50K rides in recent years, with 5K unique users and currently has 38 stations throughout downtown Dayton, nearby neighborhoods, and the University of Dayton campus.
The LINK system has historically been supported by donors and sponsorships, with only a small portion of revenue coming from ridership.
We want to show gratitude for all the Founding Sponsors of Link: Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Bonbright Distributors and New Belgium Brewing Company, CareSource, City of Dayton, Five Rivers MetroParks, Montgomery County, PNC, Premier Health, Public Health – Dayton and Montgomery County’s Creating Healthy Communities Program, Sinclair College and the University of Dayton for their support.
Bike Miami Valley’s mission “to advocate, promote, and create opportunities for all forms of bicycling in the Miami Valley” will continue as it has since the organization’s founding in 1979. The Regional Chapters will continue to conduct advocacy and events. Bike Miami Valley will continue to support the Miami Valley Cycling Summit, held next, in Springfield in 2025.
Bike Miami Valley and LINK are currently open to other possibilities for the continuation of the LINK Dayton Bike Share system, including a transition to another community partner.

Bike Miami Valley Looking For Winter Warriors

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Link- Dayton Bike Share has announced this year’s Winter Warriors is going to be a bit different, they will be fitting it all into one month! That’s right, this year’s competition will start on December 1 and go until December 31!

Are you signed up for Winter Warriors? This year’s competition will last from December 1 – December 31! we will be giving out awesome prizes including a bike from New Belgium Brewing! We will also be handing out prizes from Mike’s Bike Park, Old Scratch Pizza, RiverScape MetroPark, Boston Stoker Coffee and more! You have to be signed up to win!

Sign ups are now live. You can’t win if you don’t sign up.

Trips start counting December 1!

Dayton Bike Share Adds Electric Bikes

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After closing in late March for system upgrades, Link: Dayton Bike Share (Link) is back open. Link: Dayton Bike Share has redeployed its fleet of green Link bikes under the new system, as well as a fleet of electric bicycles (e-bikes) dubbed eLink.

The eLink bikes are white in color with green accents to help them stand out from the green Link bikes. The eLink bikes must be pedaled to engage the electric motor in the bike that assists riders. The bikes do not assist a rider above a speed of 15 mph, and they can be ridden anywhere in the system service area which will be outlined in the Link Dayton app.

“Users can unlock bikes through the Link Dayton app, which we launched in early May and is available for download,” said Bike Miami Valley’s executive director Laura Estandia. “To help celebrate our re-opening during this soft-launch period, we’re offering free 15 minute rides with the code, 15LAUNCH for the Pay-As-You-Go pass until July 4th.” Users can enter the promo code in the “Coupons and Credits” part of the app to receive the discount.

 

Link offers a variety of memberships within the app for the Green Bikes and eLink Bikes. “For a quick trip, we recommend the Pay-As-You-Go pass,” says Estandia, “but for a longer bike ride, our Day Pass is the best value.”

Users start and end trips within the app, and must use the onboard cables to lock up bikes at Link’s 27 designated parking hubs. The final version of the new hub signage will be installed next week and more e-bikes will roll out the week of July 6th for the official opening of the program.

For more information

Dayton Bike Share

call 937-496-3825 or email [email protected], with any questions.

Link Bike Share & MVRPC sponsored RIDESHARE offer Alternatives During RTA Strike

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 24-Hour Passes Offered by Link For $2 During Strike

Link: Dayton Bike Share will continue normal operations during the strike at Greater Dayton RTA. All stations will remain open and customers can call 937-496-3825 if they experience any issues with stations or bikes.

Link is also offering 24-Hour Passes for $2 at all kiosks. No special code is needed to take advantage of the price. “We realize the strike is affecting many people,” says Executive Director of Bike Miami Valley Laura Estandia. “While our bikes are not intended for use outside of the station network, we can at least help ease the burden on those who need to travel within downtown.” Link will offer the price until the strike is over.

Link is a bike sharing program that offers various membership types that give users unlimited 30 minute trips during the membership period. Any trip over 30 minutes earns a $3 charge per half hour the bike is out of a dock. Users can pick up bikes and return them to any station in the 27 station network. Download the B-Cycle app in the app store and select Link: Dayton Bike Share to see all available docks and bikes in real-time or visit our station map at linkdayton.org.

 

FREE Rideshare Program Offers Transportation

The Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission (MVRPC) wants to remind commuters that ridesharing is an option for those who normally rely on the Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority to get to their destination.  MVRPC sponsors the RIDESHARE Program and it’s FREE to anyone who lives, works or attends college in Montgomery, Greene, Miami, Preble, Darke and Clinton Counties.  For more information, visit www.MiamiValleyRideshare.org or call the RIDESHARE hotline at 937.223.SAVE or 1.800.743.SAVE.

“You don’t need to have a car to participate in the program. You could be matched with others who do have cars and who would be willing to share the ride,” explained MVRPC’s Executive Director, Brian O. Martin, AICP.

When a participant registers for RIDESHARE, the matching software will try to link the applicant with others who live near them and work/attend college near them.  A match list of people who have similar schedules and destinations will be generated and the applicant can call them and make arrangements to form a carpool or vanpool.

We are also looking for motorists who are not currently in our database that are willing to assist GDRTA patrons through this crisis.  If you are interested in learning how you can help, call the RIDESHARE hotline at 937.223.SAVE or 1.800.743.SAVE.

Established in 1964, the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission promotes collaboration among communities, stakeholders, and residents to advance regional priorities.  MVRPC is a forum and resource where the Board of Directors identifies priorities and develops public policy and collaborative strategies to improve quality of life throughout the Miami Valley Region.  MVRPC performs various regional planning activities, including air quality, water quality, transportation, land use, research and GIS.  As the designated Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), MVRPC is responsible for transportation planning in Greene, Miami and Montgomery Counties and parts of northern Warren County. MVRPC’s areawide water quality planning designation encompasses five (5) counties: Darke, Preble plus the three MPO counties.

For additional information, contact Laura Henry, MVRPC’s Marketing & Public Outreach Associate, via the RIDESHARE hotline at 937.223.SAVE or 1.800.743.SAVE.

Free Ride Weekend To Celebrate First Anniversary

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link-dayton-member-cardLink: Dayton Bike Share celebrated its First Anniversary with many bike share enthusiasts at RiverScape MetroPark today. Link users took more than 33,000 trips the first year, averaging just under a 100 trips a day. In total, more than 5,000 users experienced the 24-station system.

Link announced they will add a total of three stations in 2016 expanding the station network to 27 stations. Greater Dayton RTA installed their station at their Longworth Campus in mid-April. “We started offering wellness incentives to our employees that use the Link program, but many of them wanted to be able to use the bikes between our location at Wright Stop Plaza and Longworth,” said Mark Donaghy, Executive Director of Greater Dayton RTA. “We were happy to close this gap and encourage our employees to get some fresh air and exercise.”

Two additional stations will be installed in the fall at the Montgomery County Job Center, which is currently undergoing renovations, and at the Tech Town Campus off East Monument Avenue. “For the County, it was about providing access to our employees and users of the Job Center,” explained County Administrator, Joe Tuss. “It was a no-brainer that Link should be one of the enhancements to the new facility.”

Carrie Scarff, Deputy Director of Five Rivers MetroParks announced a partnership between the bike hub commuter space at RiverScape and Link. “Any member of the bike hub, can receive a 20% discount on a Link Membership with this new partnership. It’s collaborations like this that allow us to encourage more people to bike to work if they have a longer trip and complete that trip to work on a Link Bike,” said Scarff.
Link

“I am thrilled to be here because Link is an accomplishment of our entire City. Many partners had to come around the table to make this possible, and the community embraced it as an amenity,” said Mayor Nan Whaley. “I have loved seeing citizens and visitors riding Link Bikes throughout the year. I’m happy to see the system expand to Tech Town. It’s a natural point of growth for the system as we connect our technology hub to the vibrant, active lifestyle of downtown Dayton.”

In thanks and celebration of a great first year, Link is offering a Free Ride Weekend Saturday, May 7th and Sunday, May 8th. The $5 membership fee will be waived at all kiosks, but a credit card is still required to check out bikes. Users can enjoy 24 destinations via Link and can check out bikes for up to 30 minutes at a time without incurring usage fees. “We’re so grateful to the Dayton community for believing in the mission to create more opportunities for bicycling,” said Bike Miami Valley Executive Director Laura Estandia. “We got over 5,000 people to discover bicycling again last year, and we’re excited to continue to grow.”